Icescapes (44'33") certainly lives up to its title. Using rounded tones and crystalline timbres the music of Janne Hanhisuanto becomes a portal to a frosty dimensionless landscape. With an emphasis on changing sounds and subtle movement this album feels cold but not bleak. The eight movements chill the listener with breathing synth swells and hollow electronic vibrations. Here and there a Rhodes piano sound contributes its cool vibe with a sustaining boreal organ holding down cold chords. Further on a sparkling arpeggio dances and stretched sounds ring across a frozen panorama. Hanhisuanto also includes a lovely piece for solo piano and on another track even finds room for an electric guitar. Rising above stock ideas, floating from one isolated experience to another, the energy shifts slips and drifts. Hanhisuanto explores dark and light themes that can only be communicated through music - which has the ability to bypass verbal thought and connect directly with the mind. In this way Ambient composers truly do come alive through their music. Fans of Jonn Serrie, Giles Reaves and the more melodic music of Palancar will find a great deal to enjoy in Icescapes - as these influences coalesce beautifully into something wholly original. With its weightless allure built out of droning spaces and frostbound melodies, Icescapes glistens and feels luxurious even when it is spare - taking the listener on a distinctive sub-zero journey.